Furring nail



J; M. THORPE FURRING NAIL March 19, 1929.

Filed May 19. 1927 v QMIAFV mBY ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

YES

JOSEPH M. THORPE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Application filed May 19,

The invention relates to improvements in lath spacers or turring'nail,particularly for use in spacing metal lath or wire netting a suitabledistance away from a wall or surface to which a coating of some .plastercomposition is to be applied.

One object of the invention is the provision of a fur-ring nail in whichthe spacing ele ment is so formed that the paper usually put upon thewall, especially in stucco construction to prevent entrance of exteriormoisture, will not be injured, and that the metal lath will be securelyheld and locked into a groove formedin the cap portion of the spacer. V

Another object of the invention is to provide the body portion of aspacing element with a flanged opening having a mouth adapted to be in afirm engagement with a nail in all possible angular positions of thenail relative to the body portion, thus mak ing it immaterial whetherthe nail is driven through the opening so as to be in a preterredright-angular position relative to the body portion or whether the nailis driven obliquely through the body portion, and thereby also makingthe nail applicable to the spacing element, and the latter applicable toa wall sheathing even by unskilled hands.

A further object is the provision of a lath spacer in which the spacermay be easily slid into position under the lath without raising the lathby hand. The spacer will conform to the angle at which the nail isdriven and this angle may be so determined that in driving the nail thespacer will adjust itself, thus tensioning and spacing the wire at thesame time.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear in thedescription, my invention residesin the construction and arrangement ofparts hereinafter described and more particularly claimed, although I.

wish it to be understood that changes and details of construction may bemade within the scope of the appended claims and without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a perspective view of oneembodiment ofthe improved lath spacer, provided with a groove across the cap portionthereof and with legs extending from the FATE . rename NAIL.

1927. Serial No. 192,504.

cap and having curved flanges thereon for seating the spacer upon a wallsheathing;

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a lath spacer, which is identical withthe spacer shown in Figure 1, except that the spacer is cut off alongthe edge of the groove and at right angles to the longitudinal edge ofthe cap portion in order to provide a cheaper and smaller form adaptedfor usev in re stricted places;

Figure 3 is a top plan or a spacer of the type shown in Figure 1, theview showing the spacer as-holding a section of a wire netting or lathsecured upon a wall; I

Figure at is a side elevation of another embodiment of alath spacer,secured to a wall, a portion ofwhich is shown in section, theview-illustrating a nail as holdingthe twined wires of a wire nettingsecurely within the transverse groove in thecap portion of the spacer;

Figure 5 is an end view of one of the lath spacers of the type shown inFigure 4,1116 view showing 7 a. nail driventransversely and obliquelyinto the spacer and how the flanges at the nail opening cling to thenail and.

. firmly hold it in engagement with the spacer;

Figure 6 is a side elevationof a; lath spacer, which is ldentical withthe spacer shown'in Figures 4; and 5, except that the spacer is cut offvirtually squarely between the groove and the raised cap portion at oneend of the spacer for the same purpose as the spacer shown in Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal, mid-sectional elevation of .a lath spacer ofthe, type shown in Figure 4, the View showing in full lines thetaperingflanges at the nail opening and indicating by dotted lines a nail drivenobliquely in the longitudinal direction into the spacer and how thenailis firmly held by. the flanges in engagement with the spacer;

Figure Sis asectional elevation, similar to Figure 7, but showing infull lines the flanges at the nail opening as being spread out and in. afirm engagement with a nail, which is indicated by dotted lines as beingI driven substantially at rightangles to the seating flanges into thespacer; and p Figure 9 isan enlarged top plan of the nail-engagingpo'rtionlof thevarious forms of lath spacers, the viewshowing the shapeof the flanges at the nail opening of a spacer.

In the drawings, the reference numeral'l, indicates the usual nail by;which a lath which are contemplated.

.ing of the wire netting numerals 2, 3, 4: and 5 indicate the body ofthe various modifications of the spacer ent modifications of spacers areconstructed of sheet metal and are formed with a substantiallyrectangular cap or body portion 6, which has therein a transverse groove7, and in each body portion and virtually centrally of the groove is anopening 6,1preferably formed by a flange 9, which extends inward fromthe body portion and at its junction therewith isof a round formationand of a circumference adapted to accommodate the shank of a respectivenail 1 therein. Preferably at three virtually equidistant points 10 ofthis rounded. portion the inward extension of the flange issubstantially at right anglesto the body por-- tion,

while at intermediate points the flange tapers so that the mouth of theopening 8 is virtually of a'triangular shape, the sides of the trianglebeing indicated by the numeral 11 in Figure 9. By this construe tion thespacers are adapted to accommodate nails of different diameters, sothat, even if a nail fits only loosely within the round flange portionof a spacer, the sides 11 of the flange will press on the nail driveninto the spacer and firmly hold the nail in engagement therewith invarious angular positions of the nail to the body portion, as shown inFigures 5, 7, and 8.

In Figures 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8,the body portion 6 is shown as having ateach end and onrits outer side a projection 12 formed in any suitablemanner. These end pro ections are adapted to be hooked between a wall 13and a portion 14 of a wire netting, as. shown in Figures 3 and 4, beforethe respective spacer is placed in position for the fastenthereto, andthey serve as means for preventing the wire from sliding off the bodyportion before the wire is guided into the groove 7 and against theshank of the nail l. Legs 15, each preferably provided with stifi'eningflanges 16 at its side edges, extend" at virtually right angles from thebody portion, which in the forms shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is somewhatlonger than in tl e forms shown in Figures 4, 7 and 8, the projections12 in the latter figures being spaced only 'sufliciently far from eachother for receiving the head of a nail 1 between thenu r In Figures 1, 2and 3 eachofthe legs 15 is shown as. having at its end edge a somewhatarcuate seating flange 17, the ends of which are curved toward the bodyportion 6, as shown at 18, and this flange is preferably shorter thanthe body portion. A spacer thusconstructedis easily placed in positionupon a wall without being liable t injure the insulation paper 19',with. which All of the differ-' Figure 4. By this construction atensioning means for the wire netting upon the spacer is also provided,and the spacer is allowed to adjust itself to any angle at which thenail may be driven.

and the flanges being of virtually the same length as the body portion6. Because of their short body portions 6, the spacers 4 and 5 may beeasily tilted endwise for spacing a wire netting from a wall, but it isobvious that they may also be tilted sidewise for the same purpose. Inthis connection it should be observed that, when the spacers are tiltedendwise, the width of the flanges 20 is sufficient for preventing theflanges from digging into the paper on the wall. Furthermore, theinsulation paper is of an oily nature so that the flanges easily slipover the paper, whether the spacers are tilted endwise or sidewise,without cutting or tearing the paper and thus allow the'spacers to bereadily placed in their wire-engaging at right angles to the bodyportion, so that the spacer has only one projection 12 and that each ofthe legs 15 has a stiffening,

flange 16 only at one side edge, and the spacer 5 shown in Figure 6 issimiliar to the spacer 1, except that the spacer 5 is cut off virtuallysquarely at one end adjacent to the groove 7, so that, like the spacer3, the

spacer 5 has only one projection 12 on its body portion and only oneflange 16 on each leg 15. On account'of their reduced length the spacers3 and5 are particularly adapted'to be secured near wall corners or inother. places where there is insuflicient room for fastening either ofthe spacers 2 and 1. v

"It evident that the lath spacers de scribed in the foregoing are simplein construction and. eflicient in application and that the desiredspacing and tensiouing of a lath may be accomplished quickly and easilyby means thereof. 7 i a It is also evident that the projections 12 oneach spacer, besides serving as means, for guiding the wires 1% into thegroove 7, aid in distributing the force of the hammer blows, when thenail 1 is being driven home through the. spacer and into a wall 13. Inaddition,-it should be observed that, when the wires are thus held bythe nail head in the Wall is usually covered, as shown insharp-edgedribs 21, which are usually" formed on the inner side of the nail heads,can not cut into the wires so deeply as to cause their severance, whichcould result if the body portions 6 of the spacers were not groovedtransversely.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a spacing element for a wire lath, comprising a sheetof metal bent intermediate its ends in the form of an arch, having anapex and limbs disposed in a spaced relation to each other, each of saidside limbs terminating in an arcuate flange; means on the externalsurface of the arch to engage the wire and force the latter toward thecenter of the spacing element; and means extending through the arch forattaching the spacing element in position against a supporting surface.

2. A wire fastener comprising a spacing element of sheet metal bentintermediate its ends in the form of an arch, having an apex and sidelimbs disposed in a spaced relation to each other, each of said sidelimbs terminating in an arcuate flange; projections at each end of saidapex at right angles to said side limbs for engaging and stretchin thewire the said a ex havin a wire-engaging groove formed at the centralportion thereof and extending at right. an-

, gles to said side limbs; and a cooperating nail projecting through thegroove at the central point thereof when said nail is driven into asupport against which said spacing element is seated.

3. A wire fastener comprising a spacing element of sheet metal bentintermediate its ends in the form of an arch, having an apex and sidelimbs disposed in a spaced relation to each other, each of said sidelimbs terminating in an arcuate' flange; a wire-engaging projectionformed on said apex for engaging and stretching the wire, awire-engaging groove formed in said apex and extending at right anglestosaid side limbs; and a cooperating nail projecting through the groove atthe central point thereof when said nail is driven into a supportagainst which said spacing element is seated.

4. A wire fastener comprising a spacing element formed from a strip ofsheet metal bent into an arch having an apex and spaced side limbshaving their ends cut into arcuate shape and flanged outwardly inopposite directions to form a pair of surfaceengaging lips; and acooperating nail projecting through said apex between said side limbsand adapted to be driven into a supporting surface and to retain thefastener in position. I

5. A wire fastener comprising a spacing element of sheet metal bentintermediate its end so as to form a body portion andlegs extendingtherefrom in a spaced relation to each other, each of thelegsterminating in a seating flange, and the body portion having atransverse wire-engaging groove therein; a cooperating nail adapted tobe driven through the ''body portion and through the groove for holdingthe wire in the groove when the nail is driven into a support and whenthe spacing element is seated on the support; and means connected withthe body portion for holding the nail in a firm engagement with thespacing element in all possible angular positions of thenail relative tothe body portion.

6. A wire fastener comprising a spacing element of sheet metal bentintermediate its ends so as to form a body portion and legs extendingtherefrom ina spaced relation to each other, each of the legsterminating in a seating flange, and the body portion having atransverse wire-engaging groove therein and a flanged opening in thegroove; and a cooperating nail adapted to be driven through the flangedopening for, holding the wire in the groove when the nail is driven intoa support and when the,

spacing element is seated on the support,

the flange of the opening being so tapered as to hold the nail in a firmengagement with the spacing element in all possible angular positions ofthe nail relative to the body portion.

7. A wire fastener comprising a spacing element of sheet metal bentintermediateits ends so as to form a body portion and legs extendingtherefrom in a spaced relation to each other, each of the legsterminating in a seating flange, and the body portion having atransverse wire-engaging groove therein; terminal projecting means onthe outer side of the body portion for engag- JOSEPH M. 'rnon'rn

